Canada’s Entrepreneur

Alicia Dubois is the first-ever CEO of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, which was created to in November 2019 to guarantee loans for Indigenous groups to facilitate investment in natural resource projects and related infrastructure. Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Chelene Knight lives and writes in Vancouver. She has published essays in the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and in various Canadian and American literary magazines. Chelene’s work appears in many anthologies including Making Room, Love Me True, Sustenance, The Summer Book, and Black Writers Matter. Chelene‘s literary career includes being managing editor at Room magazine, the Programming Director for the Growing Room Festival, and CEO of #LearnWritingEssentials Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Sarah Saffari is a fitness entrepreneur, business coach, Health Scientist, and a sales and marketing ninja. As a coach and CEO, Sarah is driven by the conviction that each of us has the potential for greatness and limitless capabilities to create the lives we desire. After 10 years in the fitness industry, she has helped over 5000 men and women transform their health and reclaim their life. She has built a multi-6 figure fitness company using her unique High Ticket framework to achieve consistent results. She continues to spread her message by helping online entrepreneurs move from struggling to thriving using her 10k per month CEOwned Framework. In her easy-to-understand and compassionate style, she uses neuroscience principles to remove mental barriers and increase business results for her students. Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Roger Haskett graduated from university, he had a BA in History, Professional Certificate for Teaching, BFA in Acting and a Master of Arts in Education. Since graduating Roger created and grew Engagement Unlimited, acted in over 100 TV shows, films and commercials like X-Files, Supernatural, iZombie... and became an international keynote speaker. His award-winning talk, Pressure Cooker Confidence, has been refashioned into a book and audiobook called "the me you want to be". Recently Roger has been expanding on his book by consulting with clients to create ’the company they want to be’. Roger lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his amazing partner, three incredible kids and two persnickety cats. Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Sylvie Bougie a eu la chance de s'entretenir avec Alexandre Vézina (www.alexandrevezina.com), auteur de 6 livres, entrepreneur-conseil, conférencier et cofondateur de la Clinique d’accompagnement entrepreneurial du Québec. Dans ce podcast on aborde notamment son meilleur conseil aux entrepreneurs, sa routine et son processus d'écriture! A écouter et partager dans vos réseaux" #entrepreneur #Quebec Alexandre Vézina est résident de Pont-Rouge au Québec et est entrepreneur-conseil. Il est actuellement associé principal et cofondateur de la Clinique d’accompagnement entrepreneurial du Québec qui offre des programmes d’accompagnement structurés pour les entreprises en développement et en croissance de moins de vingt employés. Depuis près de quinze ans, Alexandre a accompagné et conseillé des milliers d’entrepreneurs de la francophonie canadienne. Sa mission : propulser les entrepreneurs et améliorer leur situation, que ce soit lors du démarrage, du développement ou de la croissance de leur entreprise. Il est également l’auteur de six livres d’affaires qui outillent les entrepreneurs au quotidien. Allez au cafr.ebay.ca/toujoursenmarche. L'offre est valide jusqu'au 22

Roshni Wijayasinha is a trusted marketing leader with 15 years of progressive experience helping companies bring brands and products to market. Having started her career working on top consumer brands on the agency side, she has built her reputation by bringing creativity and strategic insights to leading global technology companies such as Microsoft, Sony & Kobo. Most recently, she has built out Marketing teams & brands at domestic technology leaders, Juice Mobile, Thinking Capital, Benecaid and Foxquilt, and has started her own consultancy, specializing in Marketing Strategy, Planning and Communications. Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Danish Yusuf is based in Toronto, and is the Founder and CEO of Zensurance, Canada's only digital marketplace built for business owners to buy insurance. Danish started his career as a software engineer at IBM, then spent 7 years at McKinsey & Company as a consultant to large insurance companies. He has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Dr. Eli Rosenberg is the founder and medical director of Pulse Fit Rx, a new fitness facility dedicated to people with heart disease and cardiovascular risk. A cardiologist with an entrepreneurial spirit, Rosenberg is putting exercise and diet at the centre of heart care - providing a unique, highly personalized program for people to maintain their optimal health in a safe, accessible and enjoyable way. Visit www.ebay.ca/upandrunning by August 22nd.

Karim Ben-Jaafar, President of Beanworks, talks about his company's success onboarding the highest number of clients since inception during COVID crisis, and strategies for business owners to consider in a 'bear market' (recession) considering cashflow and anticipated recovery timeframe. With 15 years experience scaling rapid growth tech startups, Karim is a sought-after speaker, coach and leader in the tech space. He focuses on growth, marketing, sales and customer experience, leadership training, Stage 1, 2 and 3 SaaS companies. Karim has raised over $100M in funding as of May 2018, building predictable revenue engines through rapid growth – i.e. 20% month over month. Karim teaches SaaS Growth Engine, Saas Sales, Hypergrowth 2.0 at BC Tech. As a speaker, he talks about Coaching vs Training, Effective Leadership, Arguing over the dishes (breaking down the silos that divide us), and Group think - how to spot it and avoid it at all cost.

The "Small Business, Big Pivot" report featured podcast from the Royal Bank of Canada, provides data and new approaches to pivot out of the pandemic crisis. The rebound can't be back to the past -- the pivot needs to propel smaller enterprises forward into a different economy. So take a listen and move forward. Thanks to the Royal Bank of Canada for spending some time with Canada's Podcast and providing go forward insights.

Adrien Lavoie est le propriétaire de wooki.com, un site web se spécialisant dans la vente de souliers de marques connus à prix réduits. Il a humblement débuté dans le sous sol de chez ses parents à vendre des articles sur eBay et est maintenant propriétaire d'un entrepôt de 11,000 pi2 d'où son entreprise envoie des souliers partout à travers le monde.

We welcome our CP Alumni Craig Skauge back for another interview. Craig Skauge is President and CEO of Olympia Trust Company in Calgary. He was also a national Top 40 Under 40 recipient in 2019. He established a website recently specifically geared to small and medium size businesses raise money through RRSPs to help them in these challenging economic times. To watch and listen to his previous interview, click here.

David Lucatch is Co-Founder and Director of Kabn Systems. David has a long entrepreneurial career and provides some great insights. David started his career during the emergence of desktop publishing in the mid 1980’s and as an early Internet adopter, David has spent more than 35 years inventing technology and business solutions in the international marketing arena and over 20 years of that developing Internet and mobile based platforms and taking them to market. David has held senior management posts and directorships at both private and public media and technology firms. Throughout his business career David has been an active supporter of numerous organizations and has been recognized and awarded internationally for his fundraising activities and dedication to service and community support activities.

This iconic community leader, speaker, businessman and Canadian media guru sees the trends in media & publishing; and offers both pragmatic and insightful advice for Canadian entrepreneurs to be resilient. Peter Legge lives his life dream as an internationally acclaimed professional speaker, a bestselling author and as Chairman & CEO of the largest, independently owned media publishing company in Western Canada – Canada Wide Media Limited. Controlling a network of over 25 magazines, in addition to providing a diverse range of media services and products with over $15 million in annual sales, Peter is a living legacy of one of Canada’s true entrepreneurial success stories. Peter travels worldwide speaking to organizations of varying industries. His presentations are based on his everyday experiences as a community leader, husband, father and CEO. Toastmasters International voted Peter "Golden Gavel Award Winner" and "Top Speaker in North America" and both the National Speakers Association and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers have inducted him into the Speakers Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the prestigious Speakers Roundtable, an invitation-only society comprising 20 of North America’s top professional speakers. Peter is the recipient of two honorary doctorate degrees presented to him in 2003 by Simon Fraser University and in 2009 by Royal Roads University. Peter also received an Honorary Doctorate of Technology in 2010 from the British Columbia Institute of Technology and in 2013 was presented with an Honorary Fellow by Douglas College. Peter has published 23 bestselling books; the latest is Under The Influence. Other notable titles include The Runway of Life, The Power of Tact, Lunch with Joe and The Power of Tenacity, The Courage of Leadership and the Strength of Character. His books have motivated thousands of people towards positive change.

As someone who binge ate for years...I know what frustration, resignation, and guilt around food feels like. As someone who overcame binge eating, I know what it’s like on the other side of that. Binge eating may not be your thing, but everyone has something they can’t quite handle about their health and nutrition. Now, I'm on a mission to change the global state of health from sick-care to health-care: where we spend more time tending to our health vs. managing our illness. Combining her holistic training and years working in content, publishing, and online education, Molly Sanders has created highly effective, results-driven, 100% online wellness programs. She has helped thousands of people look past what they put in their mouths and to get real (pun intended) about what it takes to truly heal and make changes that last. Molly graduated with honors from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in 2015. She also holds a dual B.A. in Literature and Modern Languages from Kansas State University. Molly has been featured on the cover of Future Female Magazine, in Thrive Magazine, quoted in Fashion Magazine, and been a guest on That Badass Podcast among others. Learn more at www.mygetrealtoheal.com/beyondfoodprogram

Julie Yoo is owner of I Miss You Vintage, Toronto’s premiere destination store for designer label consignment shopping. With over 20 years industry experience and 15 years running a bricks and mortar retail boutique, Julie is a veteran of the resale fashion world. She specializes in identification, authentication, and appraisal of 21st century vintage couture and contemporary luxury designer label resale fashion. Her clientele has included celebrities such as Lady Gaga, runway fashion designers, international museums, and fashion archives. Julie has been interviewed by various publications contributing to discussions about female business entrepreneurship, ecommerce for small business, fashion styling advice, fashion buying tips, and fashion as a financial investment. Julie is featured in Paypal’s 2019 Women Entrepreneur Study and is included in eBay’s 25th anniversary marketing campaign as the face of Canadian small businesses. When she isn’t glued to the computer, she is usually found working with the newest arrival of fabulous designer dresses and purses in store.

Nora Jenkins Townson is the founder of Bright + Early, an unconventional HR consultancy that has helped some of the most successful startups scale. With a focus on employee experience, anti-oppression and creativity, Nora believes that the best People strategies are human first and data informed, with a dash of design thinking. With a background leading HR at Canadian success stories like Wealthsimple and FreshBooks, she founded Bright + Early to help conscious companies who are too small for full time HR leadership. She is also the co-author of The Parenting Playbook, a resource for small businesses on navigating parenthood in the workplace. Her work has been featured in TechCrunch, Elle Magazine, and the Globe and Mail, and she is a frequent speaker on inclusivity, designing HR, and the future of work.

Transitioning from in-person practitioner visits to online sessions has been presently surprising. As a specialist in trauma & couples counselling, Christine Hall (https://blacksheepcounselling.com/) shares her insights on being an independent practitioner in BC, and how traumas of childhood, COVID and racial tensions are creating an impact. Christine embraces a holistic and collaborative approach to working with others, respecting that successful therapy honours the values and beliefs of each client. She believes that distress and pain are often the foundations that strength, meaningfulness, and wisdom are built upon. She brings a wealth of specialized training in Relational & Developmental Trauma, Somatic Therapies, EMDR, Couples Counselling, Strengthening Family Systems, Adolescent Issues, Substance Abuse Treatment, Existential Issues (finding meaning and living more fully), LGBTQ+ Issues, The Impacts of Colonization (First Nations sensitivities), and Working with Shame to her work with clients. Christine is a trained Mindfulness Self-Compassion Facilitator and embody a compassionate lens to life and to therapy work. She loves art, travel, culture, and is a fierce social justice advocate.

Karen Barry is Founder/CEO of the Beltline Cannabis retail store as well as owner of Barry Commercial Real Estate in Calgary.

Sylvie Bougie a eu le chance de s’entretenir avec Hugo Morin associé de plusieurs entreprises en technologie. Vous y retrouvez ses conseils et certaines anecdotes de son parcours d’entrepreneur. Hugo Morin fonda Humagade en Avril 2003. Humagade produisait des jeux vidéo sur plusieurs plateformes mais était spécialisée en jeux sur téléphone cellulaire. Dans les années qui ont suivi, Humagade remporta de nombreux prix, connu une croissance annuelle des ventes de 84% en moyenne en augmenta son nombre d'employés de 2 à 40. Ayant produit plus de 150 jeux en J2ME, BREW et Flashlite, Humagade est rapidement devenu un joueur important pour le divertissement mobile. Dû à son expertise, elle s'est vue octroyé l'opportunité de travailler sur des licences de calibre mondiale tel que Star Wars, Mickey Mouse et les Jeux Olympiques. En 2007, M. Morin fut sélectionné par la Fondation de l'Entrepreneurship afin de participer au Entrepreneurship Development Program de la prestigieuse Sloan School of Management au Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT). En Février 2008, M. Morin devient actionnaire de Frima Studio, qui acquiert Humagade devenant ainsi le deuxième plus grand studio de développement de jeux indépendant au Québec. En 2009, Frima fut reconnu comme une des dix entreprises connaissant la plus forte croissance au Canada, et la première au Québec. En Décembre 2009, M. Morin vend ses actions de Frima et il profite d'un temps de repos bien mérité avec sa famille. En plus de siégez sur de nombreux conseils d’administration (CLD de Québec, Desjardins...) et d’être associés dans plusieurs entreprises technologique, M. Morin est associé-investisseur chez V3-Ventures, un fond d'investissement pour startup techno. Et en 2015, il devient partenaire et directeur général chez IndieGameServices, une entreprise offrant un service de développement d’affaire dans le marché du jeux vidéo. Pour écoutez la chanson Good Riddance de Green Day : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc Aussi Hugo Morin vous a recommandé le livre "How to win friends and influence people" de Dale Carnegie et lis en ce moment "The last Odyssey" de James Rollins.

Over the past 3 years, Brad Pilgrim has led Parity Inc. to develop and deploy an AI-powered energy management platform for multi-residential buildings in order to eliminate energy waste in buildings and cultivate more sustainable urban environments. Using this platform, Brad and his team have helped prevent more than 4 million lbs of CO2 emissions from their customers’ buildings since 2017.

Lori Desjardine is the co-owner and Occupational Therapist at Pillars of Wellness – a family owned integrated care centre in Burlington ON. Lori completed her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, graduating with Honours. She then continued her academic journey and completed her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. Throughout her carrier as an Occupational Therapist she worked in several different healthcare environments, with her role ranging from front line care, to supervising, mentoring and teaching. She started her first company in 2013 – Desjardine Rehabilitation, and then further expanded to opening Pillars of Wellness with her husband in 2018. Lori has spend the majority of her career focusing on complex trauma, neurological disorders, brain injuries, and mental health challenges. Having worked within a variety of healthcare settings and observed the strengths and weaknesses within the various medical/rehabilitation disciplines, Lori was inspired to create a care centre that would serve as a bridge in addressing a very noticeable gap in service. Lori’s vision is to provide truly integrated healthcare services to all clients. While her primary focus is to maximize health, she strongly advocates partnership and knowledge exchange to empower people to manage their own health and make sound care choices. Lori believes that in combination with best practices, coordinated and seamless care, in conjunction with the latest technologies, we can provide clients with the most sound assessments and treatments available; thereby allowing people to maximize quality of life.

Lori Desjardine is the co-owner and Occupational Therapist at Pillars of Wellness – a family owned integrated care centre in Burlington ON. Lori completed her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, graduating with Honours. She then continued her academic journey and completed her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. Throughout her carrier as an Occupational Therapist she worked in several different healthcare environments, with her role ranging from front line care, to supervising, mentoring and teaching. She started her first company in 2013 – Desjardine Rehabilitation, and then further expanded to opening Pillars of Wellness with her husband in 2018. Lori has spend the majority of her career focusing on complex trauma, neurological disorders, brain injuries, and mental health challenges. Having worked within a variety of healthcare settings and observed the strengths and weaknesses within the various medical/rehabilitation disciplines, Lori was inspired to create a care centre that would serve as a bridge in addressing a very noticeable gap in service. Lori’s vision is to provide truly integrated healthcare services to all clients. While her primary focus is to maximize health, she strongly advocates partnership and knowledge exchange to empower people to manage their own health and make sound care choices. Lori believes that in combination with best practices, coordinated and seamless care, in conjunction with the latest technologies, we can provide clients with the most sound assessments and treatments available; thereby allowing people to maximize quality of life.

Sylvie a eu la chance de discuter des aspects liées à la croissance d'une entreprise, le fait de faire affaires à l'international et plusieurs autres sujets avec Jimmy Plante, un entrepreneur inspirant! A écouter pour en connaître davantage sur son parcours mais aussi pour avoir ses précieux conseils! Passionné par la construction et les technologies, M. Jimmy Plante est un homme d’affaires ainsi qu’un entrepreneur axé sur les résultats et la satisfaction des clients. M. Plante a débuté sa carrière professionnelle au sein d’une des plus grandes entreprises dans le domaine de la construction d’acier en Amérique. En plus d’avoir été chargé des développements informatiques au niveau des logiciels BIM tels que Revit et Tekla, M. Plante a eu l’opportunité d’être conseiller à l’amélioration. Pendant cette période, il a eu l’occasion de bien comprendre les différentes phases de construction en plus d’avoir eu l’opportunité de mettre en place des stratégies afin de contrer la résistance au changement. M. Plante est entre autres reconnu pour son professionnalisme, son leadership ainsi que sa capacité à résoudre les problèmes de grande complexité. Le mélange d’expertise tel la gestion d’entreprise, la construction ainsi que la conception de logiciel a permis à M. Plante de démarrer et de développer son entreprise Construction Virtuelle et Technologie BIM One Inc. qui compte plus de 70 employés aujourd'hui. BIM One se spécialise dans les technologies reliées à la modélisation de l’information du bâtiment (BIM). Elle offre des services de conception de logiciels et l’élaboration de stratégie technologique, BIM One offre des services de consultation et d’intégration du BIM afin d’aider les intervenants dans le domaine de la construction à obtenir un processus de conception et de construction « Lean ».

David J. Greer is an entrepreneurial coach, author, and professional speaker (coachdjgreer.com). He is the catalyst who gets you to fully live your dreams now. Spend one hour reading his book Wind In Your Sails, attend a one hour talk with him, or get one hour of 1-to-1 coaching and you will have 3 concrete action items that will shift and accelerate your business within 90 days. David and his wife Karalee are committed to each other and their three children, spending time supporting them in the many and varied activities they are involved with. They live in Vancouver, Canada.

Entrepreneur et visionnaire technologique, Jean-Michel Lebeau se motive jour après jour à trouver comment repousser les limites du possible à travers la créativité et l’innovation. Fondateur de Cortex en 2009, il occupe désormais le poste de VP Exécutif chez nventive ; une firme de développement multiplateforme et de conseil en transformation numérique qui dispose d’un campus à Québec et à Montréal. Le jeune exécutif de 32 ans gravite dans l’industrie technologique depuis plus de 15 ans, ayant livré plusieurs centaines de projets numériques à travers le monde. Son parcours impressionnant d’entrepreneur à succès lui a valu d’être couronné « Jeune Personnalité d’affaires » en technologies par la JCCQ et « 30 Sous 30 » par Les Affaires et Infopresse. L’entrepreneur fasciné par la création d’impact cherche toujours à se perfectionner tout en essayant, lentement mais sûrement, de bâtir un monde meilleur.

Mike Gettis is Co-Founder & CEO of Endy, a Canadian-based, e-commerce company that sells sleep products online.

Marketer de formation, Jeff Doucet a cofondé J’Entreprends Québec en 2014, un OBNL dont la mission est de stimuler les échanges entre les grands acteurs de la communauté entrepreneuriale du Québec via des projets rassembleurs et audacieux. En septembre 2019, il a cofondé le Grand Chien, une constellation créative qui offre des services de création d’image de marque et de communication expérientielle adaptée à des clients voulant créer une communauté autour de leur marque. Le Grand Chien a également conçu un écosystème créatif réalisé selon les principes de l’économie circulaire. Ce lieu réunit une constellation d’entrepreneurs visionnaires qui déborde d’énergie et de rêve et qui ont des compétences en communication, web, événementielle, intelligence collective ainsi que tout ce qui touche le développement de la conscience en affaires. Sa plus grande force, mobiliser des talents uniques, dévoués et hors pair autour de projets créatifs et visionnaires. Très sociable, Il adore rencontrer d’autres passionnés, partager ces passions et prendre part à des discussions profondes avec son réseau à travers des activités en montagne.

Spencer Waugh is the CEO of AceAge, a healthcare technology company creating intuitive products to ease the aging process and improve health outcomes. AceAge’s product Karie is a personal health companion that organizes, schedules, and dispenses pills with easy on-button control. Karie was designed to make medication management as simple as possible to ensure user independence and provide caregivers with peace of mind. Spencer’s background lies in pharma, healthcare technology, and investment industries. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in International Commerce & Global Development and attended The Bremen University of Applied Sciences for International Economics. In 2016, he was awarded with SmartStart from Ontario Centres of Excellence and with Fuel Injection from Innovation Guelph. Waugh has spoken at a number of Healthcare-Tech conferences including Healthkick, Aging 2.0, MedEdge and Apps4Health.

Entrepreneur à succès, François Lambert a cofondé le plus important centre d’appels au Canada, Atelka, ainsi qu’une entreprise technologique présente dans 75 pays, Aheeva. Il a investi dans plus d’une dizaine d’entreprises en carrière, dont Boostmi, une application d’assistance routière, nGUVU, une plateforme de mobilisation pour employés, les sous-vêtements UNDZ, Acier Saint-Jérôme et divers projets immobiliers. Il a lancé en décembre 2018 sa propre boutique en ligne, www.francoislambert.one, afin d’y vendre les produits provenant de son érablière et quelques-uns issus de ses autres entreprises. Fort du succès rencontré, il offre depuis une plateforme de visibilité à des entrepreneurs Québécois en vendant leurs produits sur son site. Connu du grand public lors de sa participation remarquée à l’émission Dans l’œil du dragon à Radio-Canada, François Lambert est l’auteur de deux livres sur l’entrepreneuriat, À prendre ou à laisser (réédité en 2019) et L’entrepreneuriat, c’est difficile. Point. (traduit en anglais en 2019), dans lesquels il transmet sa passion pour les affaires et déconstruit des mythes persistants sur l’entrepreneuriat. Il a aussi écrit Qu’est-ce que j’en pense ? (2018), un livre d’opinion où il offre son avis sans détour sur 30 enjeux québécois d’actualité. En conférence, il dévoile sans réserve et avec humour ses bons comme ses mauvais coups, révélant du même souffle les hauts et les bas de la vie en affaires. Avec le franc-parler qui a fait sa renommée, il partage son histoire inspirante et transmet aux participants le goût de prendre action aujourd’hui afin de poursuivre leurs rêves, que ce soit dans leur vie professionnelle ou personnelle. Grand sportif, il a réalisé quatre marathons, fait cinq années d’entraînement en triathlon et participé au CEO Endurance World Championship en 2012. Encore aujourd’hui, il maintient un rythme d’activité physique d’au minimum une à trois heures par jour. François partage son temps entre Montréal et sa terre de 600 acres en Outaouais où il cultive du maïs, du soja et de l’avoine, en plus de produire du sirop d’érable et du miel. Il y élève également quelques poules, lapins et moutons, notamment. François Lambert détient un baccalauréat en sciences comptables de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais.

Brett Chell is President of Cold Bore Technology in Calgary. The company uses technology that will change the landscape of the oil and gas industry.

Philippe Vennes, un gradué avec distinction de l’Université Bishop’s, est PDG de FLB Solutions Alimentaires, un distributeur alimentaire généraliste œuvrant dans le secteur du service alimentaire à Québec depuis maintenant 4 ans. L’entreprise offre à sa clientèle plus de 7,500 produits et son équipe de plus de 100 passionnés est toujours soucieuse d’offrir un service qui se démarque par la variété et la qualité de des produits ainsi que son service personnalisé. Philippe est un jeune entrepreneur et dirigeant d’entreprise ambitieux et dynamique qui cherche constamment à sortir ses équipes, ainsi que soi-même, de leur zone de confort dans une optique de développement continu. Philippe est un leader axé sur les résultats qui est à l’aise pour analyser et comprendre les chiffres, mais aussi capable de vulgariser des concepts complexes. Il peut ainsi former et conscientiser ses équipes afin qu’ils puissent se dépasser dans l’accomplissement de leurs objectifs.

Jackie Porter is an award-winning financial planner who has been in the financial industry for the past 22 years serving thousands of families, established businesses, and professionals in the Greater Toronto Area. Her practice focuses on cash flow management and tax planning strategies. Jackie is one of Canada’s most recognized financial planners. Her advice and financial strategies have been featured in top financial publications such as, Forum, Wealth Professional, Investment Executive and The Globe & Mail. Many have benefited from her sound and actionable financial advice offered at business conferences, radio interviews, podcasts and television programs such as CBC, Sun News and BNN. Jackie has also been awarded winner of the Mackenzie Investments Award for ‘Female Trailblazer of the Year’ category in the 2019 Wealth Professionals awards. Jackie co-authored "Single by Choice or Chance, the smart woman’s guide to living longer better". Raised by a single mom who passed away when Jackie was in her teens led Jackie to learn important lessons about becoming financially independent very early in her life. Since she had to become financially independent at such a young age she was hungry to learn the principles of real wealth and saw the profession as her golden opportunity. Jackie now shares her journey on how she created a 7-figure net worth out of very humble beginnings. She shares insights and real-life stories on how to build a financial fortress in this age of uncertainty by learning the basic principles of real wealth. Click here to learn more!

Bonnie Lewtas helps islands around the world become self-sufficient and resilient against climate change. She specializes on innovative energy, waste, water, food, and conservation solutions for hospitality. Her work has taken her to many different islands like BVI, Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, Antigua, Azores, Madeira, Sicily, Swedish Islands, Dutch Islands and more. Through her company TurtlCo, Bonnie works with the government of Friesland on the EU-Interreg Islands of Innovation project and several other organizations that support island sustainability. TurtlCo recently partnered with Island Growers to bring the first-ever hurricane-resistant hydroponic greenhouses to Caribbean resorts. Bonnie is a contributor for "The Tipping Guide: Strategies for creative local & regional innovation policies aimed at organizing "probing and learning" projects and programs for the future pathways of islands". The Guide can be used to compare the status quo with a desired future "the dream", create a new or revised policy program with a focus on engagement-oriented projects; and build innovation and teams to develop multi-sector action plans on topics like energy, water, transport, agriculture, circular economy, tourism, emerging technology, and more. You can download the guide at innovationislands.com

Angela Podolsky, is a serial award wining entrepreneur with most recently being nominated for an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur award. She founded Kinesics Consulting, where she helps companies and individuals master their non-verbal communication skills, which is crucial to any successful business relationship. She is the only Paul Ekman Associate operating in Canada.

Vince Guzzo is a well-known entrepreneur based in Quebec who is owner and President of Cinémas Guzzo. He also owns a pizzeria and construction company. Guzzo, who is also a dragon on the popular Dragons Den CBC TV series, talks about being an entrepreneur - advice for success - and about dealing with the current COVID-19 crisis.

Sean Reid is the President and Head Coach of Arrowhead Coaching and Facilitation Solutions, based in West Niagara, Ontario. Arrowhead provides coaching and consulting solutions that help leaders lead with clarity and confidence. They work with individual business and community leaders and with organizations seeking to establish their own internal leadership development programs. Sean Reid has nearly two and a half decades of experience leading and growing high-performance organizations, and helping other leaders lead at all levels of the enterprise. In his career, Sean has worked in politics, high tech, government bureaucracies and start-up not-for-profits. He’s worked for companies with 100,000 employees and companies with 3 employees. He’s had lousy bosses and wonderful bosses, great relationships with co-workers and not-so-great relationships with co-workers, high-performing staff and low performing staff. He’s made a ton of mistakes and experienced some major successes too. He has learned, and grown and become the coach he is today, because of all of these experiences.

Sébastien Fiset, Président, Co-fondateur de Cookie Bluff à démarrer son aventure entrepreneuriale en 2017 avec la création de l’entreprise Cookie Bluff. Diplômé de l’Université Laval en 2014, et ce, en relations industrielles celui-ci à débuter sa jeune carrière en tant que Directeur des ressources humaines. Sans s’y attendre, ayant toujours eu la fibre entrepreneuriale, celui-ci saisie une opportunité d’affaire à la suite de la visualisation d’une vidéo d’un commerce de pâte à biscuits populaire de New-York. Étant déterminé et ayant la capacité de s’allier des meilleurs, celui-ci développa son plein potentiel et amena sa compagnie parmi les plus grands succès du domaine alimentaire en moins d’un an de vente avec plus de 2000 points de vente au Canada. Déjà près de deux ans après la création de l’entreprise, celui-ci s’apprête à percer le marché américain tout en aidant la relève entrepreneuriale par de judicieux conseils ainsi que par diverses conférences.

Devon Dooling lives and works in Vancouver, BC. She is the owner of: On The Rocks Ice Distribution and co-owner of Simply Pure Water in Victoria, BC. On The Rocks Ice makes the coolest and cleanest ice this side of the ice age and specializes in chilling events, hospitality and retail, throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. When Devon is not talking all things ice and water-related, you can likely find her and her puppy Molly sipping on tea at a local coffee shop or on the soccer pitch with her step-kids and husband.

A 3-person small-group podcast on the future of financing for businesses focusing on 'partnerships' and 'collaborations' vs traditional 'loan' lending. With special guests: Jill Earthy, CEO Women’s Enterprise Centre Grant Lawrence, Co-Founder Valhalla Private Capital, President Valhalla Angels Kelowna, Co-President Valhalla Angels Vancouver Mike Winterfield, Founder & Managing Partner Active Impact Investments

Jim Estill is currently CEO of both Danby Appliances and ShipperBee. Danby Appliances manufactures and distributes over 2,000,000 appliances per year, such as bar fridges, freezers and microwaves. Danby is being transformed by their newest product Parcel Guard– a smart mailbox for consumers that stops parcel theft. ShipperBee is a new venture that is ready to revamp outdated shipping channels into a system that is better for consumers, retailers and the environment. Jim started a computer distribution business from the trunk of his car while in university. He grew that business to $2 Billion in sales. Jim has invested in, mentored and advised many technology companies including Blackberry. He joined their board before they went public and served for 13 years. Over the past few years, Jim Estill has been involved in sponsorship efforts to settle refugee families in Guelph. The Financial Times, BBC News, The Guardian, and Toronto Life have all covered his story. Jim’s most recent endeavour is as Co-founder of Ventilators for Canadians, (V4C) a growing team of philanthropists and entrepreneurs who have come together to find solutions to help Canadians through the COVID-19 health emergency. Jim was awarded the Order of Ontario, the provinces highest honour, in 2017. He the was Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Ontario and has been awarded an Everyday Heroes Award by the Global Hope Coalition. In 2018 Jim Estill was awarded the Order of Canada. Jim lives in Guelph Ontario.

The Dream Founder - Sanjana Kapur Bansal, born in India, molded in America, and made it in Canada! Sanjana brings the ‘DREAM’ seed with her from Texas, United States where she led as the Sr. Commercial Energy Consultant for over five years, procuring energy contracts for all size businesses across United States and maintaining their energy portfolios. Sanjana earned her Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) in International Business and Marketing from Stephen F. Austin State University (TX, USA) and her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from University Of Texas at Tyler (TX, USA). Sanjana is a certified Business Energy Professional (BEP), and licensed energy broker in the province of Ontario. She strongly believes in the power of ‘education and empowerment’ that laid the foundation for Dream Energy Solutions. With Dream Energy, Sanjana wants to educate Ontario businesses about energy deregulation, empowering business owners with the knowledge and resources to make better energy decisions and pocket savings.

Food, wellness & personal beauty care is essential Five years ago, Rebecca Rochon founded Pivot & Pilot Creative, a boutique design agency in Vancouver that specializes in branding, packaging design, advertising, and website creation. Pivot & Pilot helps clients in the food, beauty and wellness space capitalize on their first impression. Aside from running her agency, Rebecca is actively involved in the business community in Canada and leads talks and workshops frequently. Pivot & Pilot runs a quarterly "Conversations" panel where Rebecca hosts a conversational interview with business leaders in Vancouver. Some past topics include "Launching Your Brand with Kickstarter", "Working Creatives: Making Creative Your Full-Time" and "Ecommerce vs Brick and Mortar". She also hosts Pivot & Pilot's YouTube channel where she interviews experts and speaks about the way design influences consumer behaviour. In her spare time she's on stage doing stand up comedy, at an art gallery or dancing with her dog, Bernie.

Jenn Harper, founder of Cheekbone Beauty, was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario and relocated to the Niagara Region where she was raised and developed a passion for cosmetics. Over the past ten years, Jenn has had successful career in sales and marketing with two large international corporations. During her first week of training session with one of these companies a questionnaire asked: "What is your dream job?" Jenn wrote "To be the CEO of a major cosmetic brand." At the time, there was no indication that Jenn would eventually set out to build Cheekbone Beauty. During the development of Cheekbone Beauty, Jenn researched the industry as well as charities that are helping close the educational funding gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Jenn found the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (FNCFCS) and Cheekbone Beauty continues to support the FNCFCS today. During Cheekbone’s infancy, Jenn also suffered a heavy personal loss with the suicide of her brother B.J. This loss, though difficult, has remained a driving force behind Jenn’s desire to see Cheekbone Beauty succeed with its mission. In addition to Cheekbone’s mission, Jenn strives to educate as many Canadians as possible about the Residential School System and the effects it has had on her family and friends through decades of generational trauma. Jenn speaks regularly to university, college and high school students about social entrepreneurship, empathy and the history of her First Nations family. Jenn has also been invited to speak to various entrepreneur groups, women in business associations, Apple Canada and First Nations organizations. Jenn had been featured in media outlets such as Flare.com, APTN News, CBC Radio Unreserved, The Kit and Global’s News Radio. In 2017 Jenn Harper was awarded the "Social Enterprise Award" at the 17th Annual Women in Business Awards by the Women in Niagara (WIN) Council and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) for her work on Cheekbone Beauty.

Jenn Lofgren is the founder of Incito, an executive leadership coaching firm in Calgary. For the last 15 years, Jenn has been coaching leaders and executives to be the bold, daring and magnetic leaders they know they can be. In this interview, she offers practical advice and resources for leaders who are looking to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryan Petrimoulx is the founder & principal at Bang the Drum, a boutique retail agency focusing on Retail, e-commerce and Growth Marketing. After having worked his way up from the front lines of the Retail sector since 2004, Ryan’s path has brought him through every aspect of the Retail industry, eventually leading him to begin working in Retail e-commerce in 2008. Founding his agency in 2013, Ryan has focused on working with both SMEs and Enterprise retailers who are looking to grow customers, build relationships, increase revenues & profitability.

Imagine a 10th century Viking TED Talk. Warrior, leader, motivational speaker, Ingrid Larsdöttir, reveals the untold truth of Viking shield maidens and what it takes to go to battle. Her presentation is a clarion call that that spans the centuries. She empowers women to claim their inner warrior and invites men to be allies in the battle for equality. Melanie Teichroeb wrote this solo show during the birth of the #MeToo movement. Shield Maiden addresses sexism, gender bias, sexual freedom, and trauma. It does so with irreverence, empathy and humour. The dance between strength and vulnerability is explored as the warrior character Ingrid works to recruit new warriors while inadvertently revealing her own dark and violent personal history. Melanie lives and works on Gabriola Island, British Columbia. Her day job is Chalk It Up Signs. The business, co-owned with husband and artist in his own right, Dave Teichroeb, creates hand drawn chalkboard art that ships worldwide. Shield Maiden is Melanie's first solo show. In addition to performing to sold out crowds in Canada, she has been honoured to perform in Austin, Texas and off Broadway in New York City. Canadian tour coming soon (once the pandemic ends and theatre lives again).

Diplômé en communication graphique de l’Université Laval, Francis Drolet est un entrepreneur en série. Il a fondé Click Contact en 2003, et est également le cofondateur de l’entreprise Slow Cow, qui distribue à l’international la boisson relaxante du même nom. Débordant d’énergie et d’idées, Francis Drolet est un leader naturel, mais surtout un créateur de génie depuis plus de quinze ans. Il exploite son talent au sein de l’entreprise Yankee Média dont il est le cofondateur.

Dr. Laura Hambley is a Workplace Psychologist, Speaker and Author. She describes herself as a serial entrepreneur with businesses including Calgary Career Counselling, Canada Career Counselling, Synthesis Psychology and WorkEvOHlution. Hambley talks about being an entrepreneur and how to cope with the COVID-19 crisis.

Coming to Canada from Iran for post secondary studies, Meti Basiri, Co-Founder and CMO of ApplyBoard, Massi, and their eldest brother Martin, experienced the challenges international students face trying to access education. ApplyBoard was founded—out of these shared experiences—to streamline the student application process. The three brothers were featured on three Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Lists. Since ApplyBoard’s founding in 2015, the staff has grown to nearly 300, raised USD $54 million (CAD $72 million) and last month was named Canada’s fastest-growing technology company. They have helped over 70,000 students around the world with their academic journey, and have grown to become the world’s largest platform for international student recruitment to Canada and the United States.